The present invention relates to fiber optic connectors, and more particularly to fiber optic connectors for fiber-optic transmitters, receivers, and transceivers, collectively referred to as fiber-optic modules.
Fiber-optic modules for communication applications are well known in the art. Typically, a plurality of such fiber-optic modules is provided on a printed circuit board (PCB) of a network card. Connectorized optical fibers are used to optically couple these modules to each other and to other optical devices in a system. Some of the optical devices include passive components, such as, fiber cable adapters.
FIG. 1A illustrates a conventional connector mounted at an end of a single or multiple optical fibers. Strains of multiple optical fibers are referred to as fiber ribbons. The connector 100 comprises a ferrule 108 and a connector housing. The connector housing comprises a boot assembly 102 and a coupling 104. Residing within the connector housing are optical fibers contained within a fiber ribbon 106, with the bare fiber ends held in the ferrule 108. FIG. 1B illustrates in more detail the conventional connector. The boot assembly 102 of the connector 100 comprises a boot 1, a crimp ring 2, a spring push 3, a spring 4, a pin clamp 5, and a guide pin 6. The coupling 104 comprises slots 7 along its sides. During manufacturing, the pieces 1-6 of the boot assembly 102 and the coupling 104 are slipped onto the fiber ribbon 106. Next, the ferrule 108 and the bare fibers within the ferrule 108 are fabricated. The ferrule 108 and fiber ends are polished simultaneously. The boot assembly 102 and coupling 104 are assembled so that the ferrule 108 and a portion of the fiber ribbon 106 reside within the boot assembly 102 and coupling 104. The assembled connector 100 can then be plugged into a connector receptacle of a transceiver. The spring 4 facilitates a good optical interface between the ferrule 108 in the connector 100 and the connector receptacle in the fiber-optic module. The connector 100 is conventionally known as a MPO connector according to the standard IEC 61754-7, which has an MT ferrule according to the standard IEC 61754-5. Other types of optical connectors also exist in industry.
FIG. 1C illustrates a conventional connector receptacle. The receptacle may be a part of a fiber-optic module (not shown).or an adapter to mate the conventional connector to another connector. The receptacle 150 comprises an opening 152. The opening 152 comprises a plurality of fingers 154. For MPO connectors, such as connector 100, the receptacle 150 has two fingers 154. The fingers 154 are capable of flexing outward when force is applied to move them such. When the force is removed, the fingers 154 return to their original positions. When the connector 100 is inserted into the opening 152 of the receptacle 150, the fingers 154 slide within the slots 7 and engage the coupling 104.
On a PCB, the fiber-optic modules are typically arranged in an array or multiple staggered arrays, which are positioned between other components. When greater bandwidth is desired, additional PCB""s with transceivers can be installed. Alternatively, the number of fiber-optic modules per circuit board can be increased by reducing the area requirement for each module and its associated connector. The latter provides desirable space and cost savings. Referring to FIG. 1A, the conventional connector 100 is 46.4 mm in length, 12.55 mm in width, and 7.6 mm in height. This size adds to the area of the fiber-optic module and connector used on the PCB and limits the number of modules that can be placed on the PCB, both in width and length. The space and cost savings and bandwidth per board are thus also limited.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved optical connector that allows increased density for optical devices on circuit boards. The improved optical connector should be cost effective to manufacture. The present invention addresses such a need.
A connector housing for a connector to an optical device includes: a body with a bottom wall, a first side wall with a first lip, a second side wall with a second lip, where optical fibers may reside within the bottom, first side, and second side walls, where the first and second lips engage the optical fibers when residing within the bottom, first, and second side walls, where the first and second lips assist in preventing the optical fibers from being removed from the body; a spring coupled to the body and the optical fibers; and a sleeve coupled to the body, including a locking feature for locking the body to the optical device. The connector housing is compact in size, allowing larger numbers of transceivers to reside on a printed circuit board, increasing its density for optical devices. A connector with the connector housing is also more cost effective to manufacture.